July 14, 2026

Dear Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, and Members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure:

Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) appreciates the committee’s strong bipartisan efforts to reform how the federal government prepares for and responds to disasters through H.R. 4669, the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act of 2025. The bill contains important steps to modernize FEMA and improve the delivery of federal disaster assistance, including elevating FEMA to a cabinet-level agency, creating a universal application for individual assistance, and improving transparency.

In advance of tomorrow’s hearing, we are pleased to bring to your attention the letter (below and here) that TCS Action submitted to the House of Representatives in November 2025, which underscores important provisions included in the committee-passed bill and highlights additional reforms to strengthen federal disaster assistance. The recommendations detailed in our letter remain relevant as Congress considers additional opportunities to improve the nation’s disaster framework.

The recommendations include provisions regarding:

• Strengthening planning and deployment of mitigation investments to reduce long-term costs
• Improving accountability in Public Assistance and cost-sharing
• Streamlining Individual Assistance
• Increasing transparency through outcome-based metrics, clear cost-share reduction determinations, and formula allocations
• Ensuring fair access to mitigation funds to reduce long-term federal costs
• Expanding targeted education and outreach

We also appreciate the Committee’s examination of the FEMA Review Council’s recent report. The Council is right that the current fiscal trajectory of federal disaster spending is unsustainable and that Congress must confront difficult questions about federal cost-sharing, mitigation incentives, and risk-based pricing. At the same time, reforms should focus on reducing underlying disaster risk rather than simply shifting costs onto states, local governments, or households. We believe Congress has an opportunity to pair the FEMA Act’s practical administrative improvements with many of the Council’s fiscal recommendations to create a stronger and more sustainable federal disaster framework.

TCS supports strong and swift reforms to better protect taxpayers and ensure communities have the resources to mitigate risk and rebuild smarter after disasters. We appreciate the Committee’s continued leadership on these issues and stand ready to assist Congress as it considers additional disaster reforms.

Sincerely,

Steve Ellis
President, Taxpayers for Common Sense